Secret Heart
by evening-twilight
Summary: Tamae, a young fifteen year old girl, gets sucked into the Universe of the Four Gods by accident one day. Is Nuriko the one who can crack her secret heart? (This is my first fic, please R&R, and I apologize for the bad summary!)
1. Meeting a Friendly Face

Tamae sat in the library. She had just come from school. "I can't go back," Tamae thought, "Not to that place." She hated the orphanage, or "children's home" that she had grown up in. She knew her story. It was a classic. Left on the front step of an orphanage, wrapped in a blanket. The only other thing with her at the time was a slip of paper with her name written on it. With a sigh, she pondered what it was that made her hate the orphanage. It wasn't that the people who ran the place were mean or anything. No, that wasn't it. The feeling she got when she was there. that unwanted feeling. That was it. "Why does no one want me?" she often thought. Tamae had grown up seeing other children crooned over and adored. They were the lucky ones. Guaranteed a good home. At first, the thought that usually people only wanted babies or little kids to take home comforted Tamae. She was older, that was why no one wanted her to come home with them. One day, though, a thought hit her. "I was a baby once, too. Why did no one want me then?" After that, she was always reserved. No one at school ever talked to her. There was something about Tamae that told others to stay away. So quiet, so guarded. That was her life.  
  
Coming back to her senses, Tamae realized she could never wait the three years that was required of her to leave and start a new life. The orphanage would not let her leave their care until she was eighteen. Or adopted, but that was hopeless. Who would adopt a fifteen-year-old girl? She was no use. Feeling hot tears brimming, Tamae searched for a place where she could be alone. There, that room. It clearly stated AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ONLY on the door, but she didn't care. Running in, she cried and cried.  
  
Tamae stirred as she woke up and finally realized where she was. In the library, the authorized personnel room. Checking her watch, Tamae noticed that it was past midnight. She had gotten herself locked in the library for the night. With a sigh, she looked around and realized the room was full of books. "I have a lot of time to waste," she thought, "Why not?" Tamae was an avid reader and so she wandered the room and pawed through the dusty shelves, trying to find good reading material. Suddenly, a glow caught her eye. There, that book. Tamae picked up the book. It seemed to have a certain aura to it that was so enticing... Running her hand over the worn cover, she noticed the title. "Universe of the Four Gods, eh? Doesn't sound like the type of thing I read, but I do have a lot of time. Why not?" She opened the book and a red glow appeared. Then, Tamae was sucked into The Universe of the Four Gods.  
  
Tamae shrieked as she realized she was floating through a dark space. Then, she was on the ground in a busy marketplace where hawkers shouted their wares and people were fighting to get a good bargain. Quickly standing up, Tamae smoothed her school uniform, looking down at it in disdain. Her white blouse was covered in dirt and her purple skirt looked wilted and rumpled. Sighing, Tamae reached into her pockets. "No money?!" she shouted. Walking on, she found a deserted looking alley and plopped down on the ground. Too exhausted to do anything else, she fell into a fitful sleep. Tamae woke up to the sound of loud voices and exclamations. Still groggy, she looked up to a knife. "I'm dreaming, right?" she blurted.  
  
"No, little girl. Now give me your money!"  
  
"I don't have any! Honestly!" Tamae whimpered as she looked into the face of a big, ugly drunk.  
  
"Liar! Look at you, obviously some rich foreigner. No one around here has clothes like that."  
  
Tamae looked up again and saw that the drunk was wearing clothes from ancient China. Wait a minute, ancient China? Yup.  
  
"Sorry, but are we in ancient China?" Tamae questioned.  
  
"This ain't no ancient China, but it's China."  
  
"Duh!" she thought to herself, "If the people here are in ancient China, they won't think it's ancient!"  
  
Sharp pain shot through her wrist as she heard a sickening crack. Shrieking in pain, Tamae dimly heard the drunk demanding money and realized he had pinned her arm behind her back. Remembering that she was alone and defenseless, Tamae shivered with fear. Then, he dropped her as a huge table hit him in the back of the head. Tamae peered behind the fallen drunk to get a glimpse of her savior, expecting to see a big burly man. Instead, she saw a short guy with longish purple hair, cut short in the back. He was wearing black pants, boots, and a white shirt.  
  
"That's funny," Tamae thought to herself, "I wouldn't have expected such a short little guy to be hitting someone with a TABLE!"  
  
The purple-haired dude who looked around eighteen was trying to help her get up, off of the alley floor.by pulling on her wounded arm! With a shriek of pain, Tamae jerked her arm away.  
  
"Gomen, gomen, gomen!" exclaimed the guy, "I was trying to help you up!" He now scooped her up and was running off with her.  
  
"Uh, where are we going?" Tamae questioned.  
  
"Believe me, if you are from where Miaka is from, which I think you are judging from your clothes, I'm guessing you would never understand!" Deciding not to question this any further, Tamae just sat in the guy's arms, wincing whenever her arm was jolted.  
  
"Gotta get you to Mitsukake!"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Nevermind."  
  
"Hey, what's your name?" The thought had just struck Tamae that she had never asked this guy's name. He had saved her life!br  
  
"Nuriko. Yours?"  
  
"Tamae."  
  
"We'll be there soon, Tamae." She trusted him, and was content to wait until they got to wherever it was they were going.  
  
Arigato to all who read my story! Thanks so much! ^^ This is my first fic, so I know it may not be very good, but please review and tell me how I can make it better! 


	2. Dreams

Author's Note: I haven't done a disclaimer yet. Okay, then: I DO NOT own Fushigi Yuugi. Nor can I do witty, funny disclaimers for my life. Thanks for reading, enjoy!  
  
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Soon enough, they arrived at a huge palace. "Whoa! Look at the size of this place!" Tamae shouted with glee.  
  
"This would be Hotohori's palace. Emperor Hotohori, that is," Nuriko explained. Tamae marveled at the structure in front of her and was surprised when Nuriko walked in right past the guards.  
  
"Are you a friend of the emperor's?" Tamae questioned.  
  
"Yup!" Nuriko said happily. "But before you meet Hotohori, you need to see Mitsukake, the healer," Nuriko explained. As Nuriko carried her into the palace, she tried to take in everything she saw. It was amazing! Tapestries and intricate carvings covered the wall, the floors were made out of marble, and expensive statues and paintings were everywhere. She was startled as Nuriko started shouting, "Mitsukake! Hello?"  
  
A tall, broad-shouldered guy with a cat sitting on his shoulder walked over, took one look at Nuriko and Tamae, and said, "Sit her on the chair." He pointed to a very comfortable-looking armchair. Tamae sat (was seated, rather) in the armchair, still cradling her broken arm. "May I?" Mitsukake asked as Tamae held out her arm. A green light appeared from the palm of his hand and the pain started easing away. Tamae flexed her arm, amazed as she saw that it was fully healed.  
  
"How.did..you..do..that?" Tamae asked, backing away from Mitsukake, positive that he was a sorcerer or witch doctor.  
  
"I have.powers? A gift? I don't know how to explain this. But you need to sleep, maybe we can talk about it when you wake up."  
  
A tall, regal looking young man with a hat sitting on top of pinned up, long brown hair walked into the room.  
  
"And who would this visitor be?" the man questioned.  
  
"Hotohori!" Nuriko exclaimed with glee. "This is Tamae. Some drunk was trying to beat her up so I hit him on the head with a table and brought her here cause she was dressed like Miaka and I didn't know what else to do, and." Nuriko was cut off by Hotohori's smile.  
  
"I see, well, shall we get her a room?" Turning to Tamae he said, "I'm Hotohori, emperor of Konan. Everything will be explained in the morning." He smiled and gestured to a maid standing near the wall, who went to go show Tamae to a room.  
  
Inside her room, Tamae's head was whirling with thoughts: where was this place? Who was that Miaka girl everyone was talking about? And was she really in ancient China? Could emperors really be that gorgeous? Tamae fell asleep to questions and dreams of Hotohori. "I wish I could stay here in this beautiful room safe in this bed forever. I don't want to go back," was her last thought before she fell asleep.  
  
Tamae woke up, panting and shaking. "That dream," she thought, "I didn't even remember that incident. It happened so long ago." The dream had been about the time when she had tried to run away from the orphanage. Being only about six at the time, Tamae hadn't thought of it in awhile. But that dream. it was like the whole thing was happening all over again. There she was, slipping out of the orphanage in the dead of night, holding her teddy bear in the crook of her arm with her little knapsack on her shoulder, feeling proud at being able to tie her own shoelaces. Walking down the street, branches looked like arms and shadows looked like monsters to her little eyes. Deciding that maybe this wasn't such a good idea little Tamae turned and started walking back to the orphanage. Finally it came into view. Flames were licking at the windows and screams could be heard from the inside. The fire department was there, trying to get people out. Then, the worst had happened. Someone's body had dropped from one of the windows and hit the ground with a sickening thud.  
  
As she screamed, everyone looked over and was surprised to see Tamae standing there. She was taken away.. And no one had told her what had happened because she always seemed to faint whenever something bad happened. No one wanted her to know. Tamae was whisked off to another place, another desolate orphanage somewhere. There she had stayed, and always wanted to get away, but always too afraid after the fire.  
  
A knock on the door startled Tamae out of her daydream. A maid walked into her room and handed her a pretty yukata to wear. Having nothing else to wear but her ruined school uniform, Tamae slipped out of bed and into the yukata, twisting up her long thick black hair into a knot. Then, she walked to breakfast with the maid leading the way.  
  
Nuriko, Mitsukake, and Hotohori were already sitting at a huge, long table covered with food along with a bunch of other people she didn't know. Tamae took a seat next to a girl who was ravenously stuffing food into her mouth. Nuriko started to introduce everyone to Tamae, after he had greeted her good morning.  
  
"That's Miaka you're sitting next to, I think she will be a big help as she was in a situation very much like yours. The blue haired guy next to her is Tamahome, he and Miaka are impossible to keep apart!" At this comment, Tamahome blushed bright red and pretended to be very intent on eating his food. Across from you, the loud-mouthed red head is Tasuki.  
  
"Hey Nuriko! I am not loud-mouthed!" Tasuki yelled across the table.  
  
"Right. anyways.," Nuriko continued with the introductions. "The little boy here is Chiriko, he's a bookworm." Chiriko's head was indeed buried in a book.  
  
"The monk over there with the blue hair is Chichiri," Nuriko said as he continued the introductions. Chichiri waved at Tamae and then continued eating.  
  
With the introductions over, Tamae ate her breakfast. Once she was done, Miaka came over and asked is Tamae would be able to meet her in the gardens later on. Tamae hurriedly agreed.  
  
In the gardens, Miaka and Tamae sat down by a big fountain on a lovely stone bench.  
  
"So, I'm sure you have a lot of questions," began Miaka, "But first I'll tell you about how I came here. It all started when my friend Yui and I went into the same room that I'm sure you went into. The one with the employees only sign on the door. To make a long story short, we got sucked into the book and separated. I ended up here and she ended up with. some other people. Any questions?"  
  
Tamae sat, dumbfounded, trying to digest the information. "Um. did I actually get sucked into a book?"  
  
"Yeah, you did. Kind weird, huh?'  
  
"Just a little. And, are we really in the past?"  
  
Yup, ancient China."  
  
"And you're a miko?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Cool!"  
  
"It's really hard work, though. But everyone helps me. All the seishi."  
  
"Seishi?"  
  
"Yeah. you see. there are four gods, and there are seven seishi for each god. The people you just met are the seven Suzaku seishi, and I am the Suzaku priestess."  
  
"O..k.."  
  
"It's a long, complicated story. But shouldn't we concentrate on getting you home? I mean someone must be getting really worried about you by now. Time is different in the two worlds."  
  
"Time is different? Wow! And don't worry, I don't really have anyone who cares for me. I live in an orphanage, and I hate my life back home. Please let me stay here! I love it! I swear I won't be a nuisance. I could even be a servant or something. Please?"  
  
"Well, I guess you could stay. I'm sure everyone would be fine with it. But you would be like a missing person. No one would know what happened to you."  
  
"I really don't care. Let me stay. Please. I'm begging you. Let me stay!"  
  
Tamae looked so worried and so pathetic that Miaka couldn't help but tell her that she could stay for a little longer before they figured out what to do. Tamae hugged Miaka, thanked her for explaining everything, and let her go to do whatever it was mikos had to do. Wandering around the garden, Tamae began to think, "What if they don't want me here either? Then where will I go?" The thought haunted her all day. And when she went to sleep that night, she greatly dreaded waking up the next day, fearing it would bring rejection, tears, and a journey home.  
  
Thank you everyone for reading! Please leave a review if you can and thank you very much to all who reviewed last time! I'll try to update much more often than I have been. Sorry for the delay! ^^ 


	3. Mysteries Revealed

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for reviewing! I love hearing your opinions. Oh, I forgot to mention that flames are acceptable. After all, this is my first fic so I need all the help I can get with it. Please tell me about anything that may seem weird or out of place in my story.  
  
With that said, I don't own Fushigi Yuugi although it would make a nice Christmas present! *hint, hint*  
  
Right. One more thing before you can start reading: ******************* means a change of place. Okay, enjoy!  
  
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Tamae woke up to the sound of birds chirping and water gurgling in the fountain outside her window.  
  
'What have I done to deserve being here?' she thought.  
  
Everyday seemed like a dream. The seishis seemed to genuinely like her. Or at least they didn't mind her romping around the palace and exploring Konan.  
  
Tamae loved the feeling of being able to explore nature without hearing a bus or car go roaring down a highway. It was like a dream come true.  
  
One particular day, Tamae woke up in her same usual way, stretching slowly and inhaling the sweet, rich scent of the flowers by her window. She dressed and went down to breakfast, but paused outside the doors where the seishis always held their meetings.  
  
Could it be? They were talking about. her.  
  
How she should go back to her own world before people started getting suspicious. Everyone was convinced that someone back in Tamae's world did care for her, despite the fact that Tamae kept saying the opposite. Someone had to be there, waiting for her. Right?  
  
"No. not yet," she whispered to herself. "I won't go back!"  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Inside, Chichiri clearly sensed someone's ki outside the door. It was slightly familiar, but who was it?  
  
"Wait, someone is outside the door no da," he stated, making everyone in the room jump.  
  
"Who is it, Chichiri?" Hotohori questioned with concern.  
  
"I'm not sure, no da, but their ki is not threatening."  
  
Nuriko edged open the door, to see Tamae curled into a little ball.  
  
"Eh? What's this?" questioned the purple-haired seishi.  
  
Tamae, her eyes watering, looked up into Nuriko's large, curious eyes.  
  
"Why are you sending me back so soon? Am I a nuisance here too? I'm sorry. Send me somewhere else, but don't send me back!" Tamae's voice had started as a whisper but soon escalated into a yell.  
  
"What's wrong with you? Were you listening in?" Nuriko asked playfully as he titled Tamae's head up to face him.  
  
"I didn't mean to, honestly!" Tamae was now shaking with fear, remembering the powers of all the men in the room. Miaka had not fully explained how they got their powers or who they really were. 'They might protect her, but what about me? I'm just some girl they don't know. What if they decide I'm dangerous? What will happen to me?' Tamae furiously thought.  
  
Deciding that her skills in aikido probably wouldn't get her out of this one, Tamae turned away and ran, Nuriko calling after her. She raced blindly to her favorite spot, a secluded tree on the edge of the lake. Here she hid, waiting for someone to find her, thinking about the punishment that might come.  
  
"I'm sorry everybody. I didn't mean to listen in. Please, don't hurt me. Don't send me back," Tamae whispered to herself, wishing that the seishis would somehow hear her.  
  
***********************************************************************  
  
Back at the meeting room, everyone watched in shock as Tamae ran away.  
  
"Oy, Nuriko, what did you do to her?" asked Tasuki suspiciously.  
  
"Nothing! Nothing! I didn't do anything!" Nuriko exclaimed guilty. He was absolutely sure that Tamae had run away because she had felt threatened by him. 'But why?' he thought, 'I was just trying to help.'  
  
"Hey, I'm going to go look for her," Nuriko announced. "Most girls have a knack for getting lost or finding trouble in this palace. Remember when you got caught in seaweed, Miaka?" Nuriko teased, remembering the time when Miaka had slipped and fallen in the lake, somehow managing to get herself caught in seaweed.  
  
"Yeah, I remember, but it only happened because YOU told me to look for your earring that didn't exist!" Miaka yelled back at him.  
  
"Whatever. I'm gonna go look for her all the same," Nuriko said. He had kind of made a truce with himself one night, promising that he would protect Tamae. For some reason, Nuriko had the sense that she was in need of someone who cared.  
  
Nuriko walked out of the meeting hall door, and ran down to the lake. 'Miaka got into trouble here, maybe Tamae is here too,' he thought.  
  
After searching around the lake and palace, Nuriko decided to go the one place he always went when he needed to sort things out. His favorite spot, the secluded tree on the edge of the lake. Sitting down beneath the tree, Nuriko reached around its soft, smooth trunk for a stone to skip on the water. Instead, he touched a hand on the other side.  
  
"Whoa! Who's there?" Nuriko questioned. Silence. He looked around the tree's trunk and saw Tamae, sitting as still as possible, trying not to breathe. Jumping in front of her, he questioned, "Are you hiding from me?"  
  
Tamae screamed and, acting on instinct, used one of her aikido moves to flip him around into the lake.  
  
Nuriko went sailing through the air, and hit the water with a loud splash.  
  
Spluttering, he came to the surface.  
  
"What was that for, huh?" he asked Tamae, grabbing her hand and dragging her into the lake as she furiously stuttered an apology.  
  
"G-gomen. I didn't mean to. NO! What do you think you're doing?!" she shrieked as he pulled her into the water.  
  
"What you did to me!" Nuriko yelled back as he splashed her and started swimming towards shore. He heaved himself onto the ground, using the root of his favorite tree to assist him out of the water. Then, he extended his hand to Tamae and helped her out.  
  
It was a very cold night, it was January after all, and so Nuriko handed Tamae his coat as she shivered.  
  
"Arrigato, Nuriko-san."  
  
"Just Nuriko is fine."  
  
Tamae looked up at him, and wondered why he was so nice to her. She had run away from him, pushed him in a lake, and disturbed an important meeting he was attending. Yet, he had saved her when he didn't even know her name, he had tried to comfort her as she stood outside the meeting door crying, and he had even given her his coat so that she could keep warm, although he was shivering himself.  
  
' He's such a good person. I've never met someone like this before,' Tamae mused. 'Are there more people in the world that are this nice? How come I've never known about people like him?'  
  
"You want some tea?" Nuriko asked Tamae as they both sloshed towards the palace, their wet clothes sticking to them and making them shiver."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Come on then, you're going the wrong way. The kitchen is over here."  
  
Tamae obediently followed Nuriko. They both arrived in the kitchen, Nuriko asking a near-by servant for some hot tea and robes for the two of them. The servant bowed and scuttled away to get what Nuriko had asked for.  
  
"Sit down," he said to Tamae, "And tell me more about yourself. Why do you despise your world?"  
  
"Well, when I was little my parents gave me up to an orphanage. You know, the whole classic baby-in-a-box-on-the-front-stoop story. That was me. So, the orphanage took me in. I was basically just a nuisance there; I was the only baby no one wanted. They couldn't get rid of me. It was like I was cursed. One day, I decided to run away so that I wouldn't be a bother anymore. I was just a toddler, and I was so scared. However, I had nowhere to go and I soon came back to the orphanage. But when I came back, the orphanage was burning, and.and." Tamae trailed off, fighting back tears.  
  
"You don't have to go on. I'm sorry." Nuriko, his heart breaking to see this girl cry, didn't think he could stomach any more of the story.  
  
"No, it's okay," Tamae said furiously, wiping away the tears with the back of her hand. "It was silly of me to cry. Anyways, I was shipped off to another orphanage. I've been there for 10 or 11 years now. I've always wanted to get out. Everywhere I go, I'm not wanted. Everyone wants to send me away. Even at school, I'm a loner. I'm the Weird One, the Shy Girl, the person who never talks. Why don't I talk? Because if I do, I just get pushed to the side. That's why I like it here. No one cares what I do, if I talk or if I don't. It doesn't matter. And I like it that way."  
  
Tamae finished her story and gulped down the last of her tea.  
  
"Gomen-nasai, Tamae. I didn't mean to make you cry again." Nuriko struggled for words, still feeling ashamed of himself for asking her to tell the story and making her cry again.  
  
He had expected her to be like Miaka. Having a family waiting for her at home, expecting for her to return, worried sick about her. But Tamae was so different from Miaka that there was no comparison.  
  
'For one she knows how to fight,' Nuriko chuckled to himself as he thought of how Tamae had easily flipped him into the lake. 'But this girl truly wants to stay here. All Miaka could ever think about was getting home. Tamae really does want to stay.'  
  
'And you want her to stay.' Nuriko was surprised at the voice inside his head. 'Do I? Is that true?'  
  
"Nuriko? Something wrong? What's on your mind?"  
  
"Oh, gomen! I was just thinking over. some things that happened today. It's nothing. We should be getting to bed now, it's late."  
  
"Well, good night then."  
  
"Same to you."  
  
The two walked their separate ways, each going to their own room.  
  
'I hope I get to see more of Nuriko,' Tamae thought as she fell asleep. For the first time since she had been here, she was not afraid that when she woke up she would have to leave. Tamae felt safe and happy, two feelings that she did not get to enjoy often.  
  
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Okay, that's the end of chapter 3. Sorry that I always seem to end the chapters with her going to sleep. There will be more cliffhangers and things as the story goes on. Please, please, please review and tell me what you thought! And one more apology: if Nuriko was OOC sometimes I'm sorry! Thanks for reading! 


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